Naturally, cleaning your ears is important, not just for proper hearing, but also for preventing infection. Because the ear canal is susceptible to all manner of dirt, bacteria, and viruses that can wreak havoc with your health, it’s vital to keep the areas inside the ear clean and free of debris. But it’s not enough just to clean your ears. It’s also important to keep them free from moisture. If you’re a swimmer, you likely know about a medical condition known as swim ear or swimmer’s ear, which is an infection caused by excessive moisture within the outer ear canal. Unfortunately, though, swimmers aren’t the only ones who can get swim ear. In fact, anyone can contract it, and of swim ear causes there are many, including showering, ear buds, and even the use of Q-Tips. Swim ear drops are effective at helping to clear up swimmer’s ear infections, but isn’t it better not to get an infection in the first place? That’s why it’s important to know the right way to clean your ears and the wrong way. Though Q-tips and other cotton swab products are effective and useful for other endeavors, healthcare professionals strongly recommend against their use for the cleaning of the ear canal.
Skin is a funny thing. We see it all day every day, but most of us probably don’t give our skin much thought most of the time (over and above those little signs of aging, that is). You see it every time you look in the mirror. You see it right in front of you all day long. In fact, your skin is probably one of the first things you see when you wake up in the morning.
But just how much do you really know about your skin? For instance, did you know that, like your heart, your liver, and your lungs, your skin is actually an organ? It’s true, but to be more precise, your skin just happens to be the largest organ in your body. And, besides being the human body’s largest organ, the skin has loads of other cool things going on, as it’s definitely one of the most fascinating organs in the body. Here are more fun facts about skin from top dermatologists in New Jersey that might just make you, well, jump out of your skin!
Do you dread winter? Do the short days and below-freezing temperatures make you want to hole up in your house, cuddling under blankets and watching your favorite program’s all-day marathon? If this sounds like you, you’ve got to know you’re not alone. Millions of folks see winter’s chill as vindication for their inactivity. So what happens when that thaw comes and you realize you’ve not only spent four months lounging around the house… you’ve also allowed winter’s heightened snacking to gravitate right to your hips? Luckily, there are answers to this yearly question. The good news about cold weather is that it comes with its own special set of workouts that not only help keep you from gaining winter’s typical 10 pounds; they can also help chase away those winter doldrums and lift your spirits ‘til summer. Here are some great ideas for winter workouts, from those that are meant to be performed in the cold such as skiing and ice skating, to those you wouldn’t normally consider this time of year, such as walking and swimming (with extra tips on swimmer’s ear prevention).
Whether he creeps in gradually via fluctuating climate patterns, or he gushes forth in a sudden snowy frenzy, Old Man Winter can sure wreak havoc on your health. Staying ‘in the pink’ during those frosty winter months can be extra tough, especially if you spend a significant amount of your time around children or in close quarters with coworkers. That’s why it’s almost more important to stay on top of your daily health habits in winter, since infectious illnesses such as colds and flues can get passed around more readily during harsher weather. Here are some daily health tips from healthcare professionals that will help you fight off all that winter has in store for you this year.
Halloween can be pretty scary, and not just for its ghosts, witches, and goblins. Halloween has been known to frighten more than just a few parents for what all that gooey, sugary candy can do to their kids’ teeth. Thankfully, as a parent, you don’t have to make your kids opt out of all the Halloween fun just because you don’t want their teeth to end up looking like that candy corn they’ve been scarfing by the boatload. In fact, it likely will surprise you to learn that some of the candy they get for for trick or treat may even be good for their teeth. For instance, sugarless candies can actually benefit teeth. But what about the rest of them? Is one sugary candy just as bad as another? Or are all Halloween candies that contain sugar as ghastly as those costumes they picked out? Here are some dental health tips for parents at Halloween about the best and worst Halloween candy for teeth.
Impossible, right? Actually, it’s very possible. As a parent, you probably cringe every year about this time thinking about all that candy your kids are going to get on their fun night of trick-or-treating. And all that sugar swishing around in their mouths, well, it’s on a mission to destroy your kid’s teeth and tooth structures. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There are things you can do as a parent to help your kids get through Halloween and all its sugary ghoulishness without coming out on the other end with a mouth full of cavities.
Swimming is the most amazing workout ever. Not only can swimming burn more fat than just about every other exercise there is (short of climbing Everest) because it combines weight-training/muscle building with an effective cardio workout. It’s also an enjoyable workout that keeps you from sweating yourself silly. Plus, it’s oh-so-easy on the joints! And swimming does all this in a nice, pleasant low-intensity workout! You just can’t say that about any other workout. Think about it. When you go to the gym and get on one of those sweaty machines like a treadmill, you walk, walk, walk… and when you get off, not only have you spent all that time doing the same repetitive movements looking at the same walls, but you’ve also sweated yourself to a disgusting, smelly mess… and you’re in the same place you were when you started! But, when you swim, you’re gliding along in that beautiful, silky water and, instead of sweating, you actually come out feeling cooler than when you went in! Now that’s a great workout! Here are some of the health benefits and other reasons to choose a low-intensity swimming workout over any other type of workout.
Medically speaking, it’s an infection of the outer ear canal. Most people know it as ‘swimmer’s ear.’ The problem with this title is that it’s not very descriptive. In fact, it’s even deceptive. Many people think that, because they’re not swimmers, or because they don’t swim very often, they won’t get swimmer’s ear. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re someone who showers or bathes (and hopefully you are), you can get swimmer’s ear. Though it is true that swimmers tend to experience it more often (hence, the name), it’s also true that all it takes is one time of excessive moisture to get into your ear for you to develop an outer ear canal infection. The symptoms of swimmer’s ear are easy to know, and of swimmer’s ear treatments, there are several. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, you likely have swimmer’s ear: redness in the ear canal; pain in the ear canal; discharge from the ear, either an odorless, colorless fluid, or in more severe cases, pus discharge; muffled hearing; full feeling within the ear (caused by swelling and/or blockage). If you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms, your swimmer’s ear infection has progressed, and it’s important to see a doctor: severe pain that may have radiated to face, neck, inside the head; fever; swelling of lymph nodes. The good news, though, about swimmers ear is that there are home remedies that can reduce or even eliminate your symptoms.
Swimmer’s ear… it might not sound like a horrible thing, but the fact is that it can cause a lot of complications. In fact, swimmer’s ear can even lead to partial loss of hearing, and you don’t have to be a swimmer to experience it. Swimmer’s ear is nothing more than an infection, and an infection is never a good thing. An infection means that you’ve got bad bacteria somewhere, and having it in your ear can be devastating, especially if it leads to pain and loss of hearing. Swimmer’s ear is something laypeople call an outer ear canal infection. The symptoms of swimmer’s ear include pain, redness in the ear, difficulty hearing, and discharge of fluid from the ear, among others. However, these are only the mild symptoms you can experience from swimmer’s ear. The more severe symptoms of this medical condition include severe pain and redness, pus discharge from the ear, blockage causing loss of hearing, pain that radiates to the neck and head, and even swelling of lymph nodes. One very severe complication that can occur from swimmer’s ear can even be life-threatening. This is why it’s never good to take swimmer’s ear lightly. Another reason is the complications that can occur due to this infection.
If you’ve ever experienced swimmer’s ear, you know how painful and disruptive it can be to your life. In fact, you may have experienced it without even knowing it. Swimmer’s ear is the term that is often used for it, but the fact is swimmer’s ear is nothing more than in infection of the outer ear canal. Everyone, even those who never swim, can develop that outer ear canal infection. It can be a very painful occurrence that can even affect your ability to hear. This is why it’s important to learn about how to prevent swimmer’s ear. It’s also why it’s important to learn a little about the various swimmer’s ear treatments available to you.